Disorientated
by Twilight to Midnight
Summary: What do you give a billionaire for his birthday? Alice and the gang have the perfect idea and it's going to knock Edward Cullen off his gorgeous feet - the story of how Bella Swan ended up being Edward Cullen's unwitting birthday present. AU. AH.
1. Wrapped Up Like Christmas

Disclaimer: Hail to S. Meyer!

A/N: Just an idea to answer the unanswerable question...

...what do you get a billionaire for his birthday?

* * *

**BPOV**

"He's Jasper's boss!" I screamed as I clung to my clothes, frantically scrambling over my half-made bed as Alice chased me with a pair of scissors. A strap was slipping off my shoulders, causing the material to sag and Alice to cackle with glee as she continued her crazed chase.

"Bella! Stand still! How am I supposed to fit the dress if you're going to run about like a headless chicken?!"

I whimpered as I dove for the doorway, urging Jasper out of my way with the frantic flailing of my arms. Sorry bastard, I thought as he hooted with laughter, tears streaming down his face as he gasped for breath. Fine then! If he wasn't going to get out of my way then…

I threw myself bodily across those last few feet and slammed into his tall frame. I heard his muffled grunt of pain but before I could celebrate, Jasper crumpled to the floor and inadvertently swept my legs from beneath me. With a scream, I floundered and flopped backwards, landing with a rather heavy thump on the carpeted floor of my bedroom.

For a moment, stars danced behind my closed lids and with a groan, I opened my eyes. Alice stood over me, the scissors held high, the scene akin to a B-grade horror film, except of course, the sharp blades weren't dripping with the blood of her previous kills. The smile on her face however, more than made up for the lack of blood.

She shook her head as she crouched down next to me, tsking patiently as if I were a wayward child who needed a scolding. Jasper was still collapsed on my legs, launching into another bout of laughter as Alice smiled over at him sweetly.

"That's my man." She said to him proudly as I struggled to free my trapped limbs. Before I could however, Alice turned back to me and smiled even more brightly.

"Don't struggle, Bella. It will only make things more difficult."

"Good God Alice! This is not a good idea! He –" I was desperate and I think it showed in my voice.

Alice frowned and huffed. "Edward Cullen is Jasper's boss; yes I know."

"Then why are you making me do this?!" I screamed, my eyes, wide and frantic as I readjusted the slipping strap yet again.

"You heard me, didn't you?! That gold-digging bitch, Tanya, is coming to town and we all know why she's coming!" Small as Alice was, she somehow managed to push Jasper off of me and grasping my elbow, dragged me to my feet.

I went reluctantly as she pulled me back towards the full length mirror, her face set into her most guilt-inducing pout.

"You know Edward doesn't deserve to be…"

"He's Jasper's boss." I said once more, rather emphatically in fact, but of course, Alice ploughed on as if I hadn't spoken at all.

"…used and targeted by that despicable woman…"

I felt a whimper build deep inside me as the guilt began to claw at my throat. I knew what Alice was getting at. This Edward Cullen person was Jasper's best friend and Alice adored him to bits, in fact, if she wasn't head over heels for Jazz, I'm convinced that Edward would be the next best thing. I understood why Alice thought he needed to be saved from this Tanya person…but heavens above, why me?

"…all you have to do is make an appearance! That's all I ask!"

Exasperated, I grasped her waving arms, lest she take out my eye with those sharp scissors, and resolutely met her gaze.

"What do you expect to happen, Ally? That's he'll look into my eyes and suddenly forget all about the blonde bombshell throwing herself at him?"

Alice looked genuinely confused for a moment before determination reset her pixyish features.

"Yes." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's exactly what will happen."

That seemed to be the end of the topic for her as she quickly returned to her task of hemming the satin-lace concoction of a half made dress.

I spluttered. "Alice. Alice, no. I haven't even met this guy before! For all I know, he's could be a raving lunatic, obsessed with star trek or something."

Jasper chose that moment to recover his composure and interrupt.

"He's not, Bella."

I whirled towards him, eliciting an annoyed huff from Alice as her grip slipped from the smooth material.

"Have you checked every room of his house for a shrine?"

His eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Umm…no?"

I sniffed victoriously. "Then you can't possibly know that now can you?" Yes, I was being illogical and completely unreasonable but come on! I wasn't about to make a fool of myself in front of the youngest billionaire on the face of the planet. Besides, Alice was a hopeless romantic, 'Sleepless in Seattle, Titanic, The Notebook' kind of romantic. To her, every life was a chick-flick waiting to happen and my perpetually single state was beginning to grate on her delusionally happy mindset.

"Bella. Remember that time I had to come down to the police station to get you because you'd been arrested for public indecency?"

I groaned, suddenly sure of where this particular conversation was going.

"Yes…" I muttered as Jasper snickered. "For the record, some idiot pushed me into the fountain so I didn't actually willingly flash that old couple sitting in the park."

Alice straightened and braced her hands on her hips. "You didn't have any underwear on."

My face flamed and Jasper collapsed against the nearest wall, crying with laughter.

"I ran out of clean panties!"

The petite woman shook her head. "Do you remember what you said to me that day, Bella? You said that you owed me a huge favour and that I was the best friend in the world. You said that all I had to do was ask and you would gladly repay the favour, do you remember…"

Oh damn. The woman had a memory like a fourteen year old mathlete, chess champion.

"Alice!"

She held a pin between pursed lips as she took the opportunity to adjust the collar of her white contraption of a dress. Sending me a very stern look to ensure that I stood still, she slipped the pin through the material several times until it held tightly across my chest.

"All I ask is that you turn up to the party. You don't even have to talk to him." Alice retrieved another pin from the cushion tied to her wrist and proceeded to adjust my slipping straps. "You just have to walk in there and enjoy yourself."

I eyed her suspiciously but I knew that I had already given in. I wouldn't have denied her any reasonable request, favour or not.

"No obligations?" I asked.

"None." She confirmed, frowning as she stood back to survey her work. "If you don't want an active part in 'Operation: thwart Tanya', then that's your choice. You just have to be there for back up, in case Rosie, Emmett, Jasper and I get arrested."

My eyes widened a fraction as she stepped towards me once more. "Arrested? What are you planning to do to Tanya?"

Alice tugged angrily at the shoulder straps as she muttered. "Drastic times call for drastic measures." Her expression turned saccharine. "Unless of course, you're willing to…"

"No." I said immediately but Alice seemed to have expected the answer as she went straight back to fussing with the dress. With two sharp tugs, the satin and lace straps tore and fluttered uselessly to the ground.

Shrieking, I clutched the bodice of the dress, holding up the material lest the sheath shimmy its way down my skinny form.

"Ally! What on earth are you doing?"

Alice huffed impatiently as she snatched up a swath of the same white material from my bed. Cutting off two equally sized pieces, she wrapped them around my shoulders as makeshift sleeves and pinned them to what remained of the dress.

Stepping back, she smiled brightly. "Oh! Edward is going to love you in this!"

* * *

It hardly mattered what Edward bloody Cullen thought of the dress, I thought as I scratched my shoulder for the thousandth time. This stupid satin and lace concoction was itchy and uncomfortable and looking at myself in the mirror…God, I looked ridiculous.

"You look beautiful, Bella." Alice whispered as if she sensed my doubts.

I suppose the dress wasn't bad. It was an Alice Brandon original after all. White with under-layers of satin coated with a film of lace, the dress looked something like an evening gown from a bygone era. It was a tight and figure hugging sheath of material that stretched across my shoulders and flared out below the knees, altogether, it seemed like something Audrey Hepburn would wear, not me.

Alice, however, disagreed. As she sat, carefully removing the strategically placed hot rollers from my hair, she smiled dreamily at my reflection and stroked the curls which now fell to my shoulders.

"Gosh Bella, don't you look a treat." A masculine voice said from the doorway. I looked up and smiled.

"You scrub up quite well yourself, Mr. Whitlock." And so he did, his tall frame was practically born to wear the elegant grey number he was currently showing off.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Alice give him an appreciative once-over before she returned to release the rest of my hair from the torture of curlers. With a few twists of her wrist, she had pinned the mass of curls into a messy sort of up-do and sat back, sighing as I settled a thin white ribbon around the entirety just as a finishing touch.

"I'm a genius." She said, laying her chin on my shoulder. A spark of mischief lit in her eyes as I watched guardedly and Alice turned towards me.

"Well?" She demanded.

I floundered for a few moments, not entirely sure what to say. Would she take offence if I told her I felt like an over-wrapped Christmas present? Deciding to play it safe, I simply agreed with her.

"Excellent." Alice nodded as she took me by the elbow and dragged me to my feet. "Come on, we're going to be late."

It was then, right that instant, that the panic set in. Alice and Jasper wouldn't be dragging me to this guy's birthday party without some motive whatever they had promised me. In a moment of unusual precognitive clarity, I saw myself being thrust into his arms and quite possibly falling head first into his cake instead. Something disastrous was bound to happen and knowing my two left feet, it could easily result in bodily injury to either me or him…or both!

I dug my heels into the carpet and came to a sudden standstill.

"No! I…I don't want to go! I…uh…I have to recheck my manuscript before I meet my editor tomorrow!"

Alice was still behind me, pushing my frozen figure. "Bella," She huffed, out of breath. "Your meeting with your editor is two weeks away; you can afford to take one night off."

I wanted to cry…was that a logical response to attending the social event of the year? Likely not, but screw logical! I couldn't afford to be logical while my best friends had matchmaking on their minds!

"No…God Alice, I…I think I might be sick…yes, that's it! It must have been that sushi I had for lunch, damn, I knew it tasted a bit off…I'm just…"

The petite designer gave me a firm shove as she screamed for Jasper to get his ass into my room. "You didn't have sushi for lunch; you had a sandwich you made yourself."

I did? Damn!

"Alice, I really think…oof!"

Jasper was a no nonsense kind of guy and this was clearly evident when he simply skipped the necessary arguments and simply scooped me up, tossed my clumsy body over his shoulder and marched from the room. Behind us, I could hear Alice screeching at him to not ruin my hair but seeing as this unnecessarily rough action was serving her purposes, she quieted soon enough and followed while my prone form was dragged kicking and screaming from my apartment building.

Suffice it to say, my neighbours will never look at me the same way but after being safely deposited in Jasper's limo, the couple resumed their normal behaviour, namely, treating me like a human being rather than a sack of potatoes.

"That was completely unnecessary."

Alice's smile said it all as she patted Jazz's knee. "Of course. Now, scoot over, a few of your curls have fallen out of place."

I reluctantly did as she asked and as she sat behind me, fixing the damage done to my hair, I watched Jasper grin.

Petulant and not a little indignant, I huffed and scowled at him, well in his general direction as Alice had forbidden me to turn my head.

"I didn't even get this guy a birthday present…and you're making me crash his party."

Jasper waved away my last ditch excuse and continued smiling.

"It doesn't matter, Bella." Alice said from behind me. "What do you get for a billionaire who has ten of everything already anyway?"

God love this woman, always so sensible. But that just sparked another question in my mind.

"What are you getting him then?" I looked around the limo…nope, no wrapped packages in sight. "A gift card? Or is it in the boot?"

A musical giggle came from behind me as Alice pinned the last curl into place. "Nope. It's right here."

I looked around, suddenly wondering if I was going blind, but no, I could see Jasper's widening smirk as clear as day.

"Hate to break it to you guys, but I think you might need glasses. What are you going to give him? The limo or something?"

Alice had already planted herself firmly next her boyfriends welcoming body as she shook her head in denial.

"Don't worry, Bella. You'll see when we get there."

She wouldn't say another word about it and I devoted my energy to waiting for the perfect moment to leap from the moving car, Jason Bourne style. Unfortunately, Jasper's driver seemed to have the foresight to utilise the child locks.

As the limo manoeuvred the drive to upstate New York, Alice kept the conversation flowing with no input on my part whatsoever. I was too nervous…or too anxious…or whatever you would call this unnerving sensation swirling around in the pit of my stomach. The happy couple opposite me were completely oblivious of course and as we drew near the Cullen mansion, where this Edward character lived, they grew more and more excited…as opposed to my growing desire to melt into the leather seats.

"Bella!" Alice clasped my clammy hand. "Look! We're here."

I looked.

Wow.

Oh…double wow.

The mansion was not a mansion. It was an entire bloody palace; all it was missing was a few towers and hello Disney! Perched at the top of a gently sloping hill, it was a sprawling property surrounded by acres of open land and manicured lawns. For the occasion, every light and torch was lit and blazing, lighting the façade of the building until it practically glowed in the darkness.

"Jesus."

Alice smiled against my shoulder and held my hand tightly until the limo pulled to a stop in front of the open front doors. Instantly, a uniformed figured stepped from the entrance and snatched open the limo door before I could even close my slack jaw. Unattractive…yes, but Alice and Jasper had seen far worse.

"Come on, Bella." Jazz chose that moment to help me out of the car. "Let's go meet the birthday boy."

I looked the couple and frowned; they were both empty handed. "But what about your present?"

Jazz smiled at me in a way I really didn't like. "I've got it."

Oh…oooookay. Good God, these two were acting odd…by odd, I mean odder than usual as Jasper and Alice are normally odd anyway.

Within moments, I was engulfed in the crowd of well-wishers, guided and held up only by Alice's supporting hand on my elbow and Jasper's firm grasp around my shoulders. The heat of the June night was already stifling but the crowd made the situation ten times worse; Alice would kill me if I started to sweat through her dress.

Instead of heading away from the crowd however, Jasper and Alice only pulled me towards it. Along the way, I spotted Rosalie and Emmett. Both waved at me before turning away with identical conspiratorial smiles on their faces. Suffice it to say, we didn't stop to greet them. Alice seemed set on her course, whatever it was.

The champagne and hors d'oeuvres flowed free and the merry atmosphere was giving me a headache. Heaven help me, this place was a nightmare; an ideal place for disaster. My clumsy gene always did seem to have a penchant for dramatics.

"Smile Bella, you look like you're at a funeral."

I grimaced; the best attempt I muster at that moment. "I'm hardly wearing the appropriate colour for it."

That seemed to amuse her to no end. "No…you're dressed for a wedding."

I huffed, disgruntled by the comparison but Alice ignored me. At that moment, she was eagerly elbowing the crowd out of the way, causing several china doll-like models to scowl at her petite figure as we ploughed through.

It was with some relief that I found myself pulled to a stop moments later, thank goodness for small mercies, I thought as my feet throbbed in the impractical heels Alice had chosen to match the dress.

Jasper seemed to have stopped to chat to a man in a black suit…and holy cow…

A pair of golden eyes flashed to mine and the world suddenly tipped on its axis.

The last thing I heard was Alice's smug voice. "Happy Birthday Edward."

* * *

A/N: Just a sneak peak. Next chapter...EPOV. Please note this story will likely only be 3 chapters long. A Novelette if you will. It'll get pretty M-rated later on...

Always,

Twilight To Midnight


	2. Lie, Cheat And Steal A Moment

Disclaimer: Characters belong to S. Meyer

A/N: As promised, a weekly update! And EPOV too!

* * *

I was, perhaps, a little rash when I allowed Esme to plan my birthday party. What was supposed to be a intimate family gathering had turned into a full blown fiesta with a few hundred guests, of whom, I was sure I had only met a quarter.

Rose and Emmett were standing near by; having wished me a happy 27th birthday which was really neither here nor there, they had slunk off and had been standing in that corner ever since, whispering covertly to each other. How they could even hear in this raucous crowd was well beyond my understanding, but God, couples were just that way.

"Edward!" A voice cut through the eternal buzz of noise and I turned my head just in time to see a blur of blond before a slim body ploughed into mine.

"Tanya." I replied as calmly.

Her beautiful face beamed up at me, her eyes the same clear cornflower blue I remembered since our youth.

She twirled a curl around her fingers and giggled brightly. "Happy birthday; would you like to see your present?" Her voice was husky and inviting, holding that same hint of invitation which I had spent years ignoring. She was lovely, a true sight to behold but we were raised together; I always considered her something akin to a sister…besides…I preferred brunettes; something about that dark, rich colour made my hands itch to touch it.

My fingers twitched and rose of their own accord, inching towards the breast pocket of my suit.

Before I could lower my hand, Tanya seized it and clutched it excitedly. "What do you say, birthday boy, want to see my present?" Eye glittering, she pressed herself to my chest and an unreasonable sort of anger ignited in my mind as I heard the inevitable crinkle of paper.

I carefully disentangled myself from her, not particularly caring if she took any overt offence; it really was time that she got the message. Nonetheless, I forced a smile, setting her a solid arms length from myself.

"Perhaps later, Tanya, I usually open all my present with Esme; she's a firm believer in sending thank you notes."

Good, I thought, as a disconcerted look appeared on her face. Before she could come up with another excuse, I spotted Jasper's tall form weaving through the thick crowd followed by the unmistakable commotion which came only with Alice's tumultuous appearances.

Tanya was on the verge of another retort when Jasper finally broke through the crowd of people following my conversation with her. A genuine grin broke out on my face as the man clapped me firmly on the back, offering a gruff hug.

"Jesus, Man. Great turnout." Jasper was mocking me, I knew. He turned towards Tanya, his lips twisting into a sardonic expression. "Why Tanya, don't you look classy."

His tone screamed insincerity and for a moment I was almost afraid that I would laugh out loud. The searing hot pink number she had on dipped so low, I was sure she was violating a number of laws.

Blonde she may be, but Tanya was no idiot. For a moment, her pleasant expression twisted into one of utter malice before it smoothed out again. The animosity between her and Jasper had never been a secret and I had a good idea that I happened to be the source of their discord.

The rest of their biting banter fell on my deaf ears as my eyes slid to Alice's pixyish form. A welcoming smile froze halfway to my lips and my hands clenched involuntarily as they tensed by my side. God…what was she doing here?!

No…no, not Alice. Bella! What was Bella doing here?! She…my fingers twitched again, moving towards my breast pocket.

"Happy birthday Edward." I barely heard Alice's voice; the beautiful little form wrapped in white was falling…

Bella's delicate body was crumpling and shrieks of surprise came from the witnesses who all stood around and did nothing.

In a burst of panic that made my heart thump heavily against my ribs, I threw myself forward and felt the torrent of relief as my arms closed around her small body. Bella, my Bella, was warm, almost hot beneath my fingertips, her body limp and giving as I hoisted her into my arms and shot looks of utter disgust to the watching crowd who had flinched away from her falling form as if they were disgusted that Bella would do something so _gauche_ as to faint.

They must have sensed my aversion as the sea of people parted without question, allowing me and my precious armload through without a question. I chanced a look down into Bella's face and saw no awareness. Even in oblivion, her cheeks were flushed and her dark lashes stood in wonderful contrast against her translucently white cheeks. She was as light as air in my grasp, so fragile and so strong all at once.

"– Goddamn it, Tanya! This is none of your damn business –" Jasper's voice was strong and irate behind me. It was soon joined by Alice's quiet, threatening tones. "– You're not welcome –" I lost strains of the conversation in the ensuing turmoil but I didn't care. The winding staircases came into view and I was suddenly terribly grateful that Esme had been wise enough to station several security personnel at the bottom to ensure that no adventurous guests went wandering in my private home.

A great bulk of a man nodded to me as I passed, bounding up three steps at a time, intent on reaching a bed so I could set my precious burden down in comfort.

An indignant scream interrupted my single minded progress and I turned back just in time to see the three security guards blocking the wide base of the staircase, their arms out stretched as Alice squirmed, dodged and swore like a seasoned sailor.

The largest one of the guards, presumably the man in charge stood stoically, unflinching as Alice aimed a punch at his gut.

"No one is allowed onto the second level, miss."

One look told me that Alice was at boiling point, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily, held in place only by Jasper's restraining arm as he tried to push her back behind him so that he could take a swing at the black suited guard himself. Tanya too was hovering around the base of the stairs, feebly batting her lashes at a man who ignored her with admirable professionalism. As if that wasn't chaos enough, Rose and Emmett had also followed and were now standing shoulder to shoulder with Jasper and Alice, glaring menacingly at their restraining arms.

Rose's eyes darted to the limp form in my arms, her eyes widening as she let out a horrified scream.

"Bella! Oh my God!" She turned her furious eyes onto the security. "Those are my friends up there, so you better step aside if you know what's good for you!" Emmett reinforced her words as he stepped forward and flexed his biceps threateningly.

However big Emmett was, he was still no where near the sheer size of the head security guard who didn't budge an inch, instead, the man turned back towards me, his eyes cool as he met my gaze.

"Mr. Cullen?" His gruff voice questioned.

An insane impulse overtook me in that instant, something selfish and hot and impatient.

"I have never seen them in my life." The words left me before I could stop them and wonder at my irrational actions but the guard nodded and turned towards my forsaken friends, his bulk unmoving as they gaped at my denial.

"Mr. Cullen has made himself clear, you are not allowed –"

Indignant screams dogged my steps as I resumed my ascent but I didn't care, sense had abandoned me. All that I could think about at the moment was Bella…and how I had, quite inadvertently, managed to wrangle an entire night alone with her.

Was that disturbing? Surely this wasn't how a gentleman courted a young lady. I looked down at her face again as I reached the top of the stairs; her features were still unmoving, blank and unconcerned with the indignant curses being flung at me from the bottom of the stairs.

I turned a corner, relief flooding through my tensed form as the noise of the party faded. The empty corridors were cool; there were no bodies here to generate the extra heat to counteract the air conditioning. Downstairs, there was no such comfort even with every window and door flung open, and that, I guess, was why Bella had fainted.

Unwittingly, my feet had carried me into the dark, cool recesses of the master suite, my suite to be exact. Pushing open the doors, I moved past the outer parlour and into my bedroom so that I could rest Bella's delicate body on the cool sheets. For a moment I stilled as she shifted, moaned and settled again.

I couldn't control myself; my hand slipped into her hair, removing the pins that Alice had undoubtedly fixed into her unnaturally curled locks. I didn't like it, I thought. I liked Bella's hair free, flowing down her back like a river of chocolate.

She didn't stir as my fingers moved down her cheek or when my heavy gaze took in the beautiful white dress possessively hugging her slender form. Was it wrong to be jealous of a sheath of fabric?

"Ugh!" I tore myself away, bolting from the bed. This was…pathetic. Bella…Isabella didn't even know who I was. She would probably scream if she woke up and found me hovering over her as I had been.

The thoughts bounced hollowly around the inside of my skull. Yes…Isabella didn't even know me. We had never been introduced…she had never even seen me before tonight, she hadn't felt the same electric thrill when our eyes met, hadn't felt the blast of hot, unrelenting desire throbbing through my veins even as I paced the room.

My footsteps thudded, muffled against the thick carpet of my bedroom as I crossed the room and flicked on the dim overhead lights. It wouldn't be a good idea for Bella to wake up in the dark with a strange man near her bed.

But the lights seem to have done the trick; Bella's eyes flickered behind her closed lids and soon enough, her chocolate brown orbs were blinking blearily and roaming around the decadence of my bedroom. She moaned lightly, a sound which set my pulse tripping, and raised a hand to her unravelled hair. As soon as she touched the loose curls, a frown marred her perfect features and her eyes finally came to rest on me.

She screamed. Damn it. She screamed when she saw me. She drew her body up from her prostrate position and tucked her knees into her chest in a protective huddle.

"I'm Edward Cullen. You're…ah…you fainted, downstairs. I just thought…" Hell, listen to me; I was stumbling all over my words like a smitten schoolboy.

Bella's cheeks reddened in the dim light for some reason and she slowly uncurled herself from her protective position.

"Oh." Her voice was a sweet whisper. "I'm…umm…Bella Swan. I'm Alice's friend, she, ah, she brought me to your…oh!" She bit her lip…hell, I don't think she even realised what that look was doing to me. "Umm…happy birthday."

I felt my lips twitch and I saw the answering twitch on her luscious pink lips. The absurdness of the situation seemed to dawn on us and after a spontaneous bout of laughter, the tense atmosphere evaporated.

Remembering my manners, I cleared my throat and stilled my laughter and walked towards the side table.

"Would you like some water?"

The little beauty on my bed leant back and nodded, the charming blush still staining her cheeks. As I poured, she spoke up, her voice felt like a warm finger meandering down my spine.

"Where's Alice…and Jasper?"

I tensed. Oh shit. My back still to her, I schooled my expression and tried to formulate a logical answer.

"Oh…they're just downstairs…in the kitchen." I turned towards her, praying fervently that my smile was sincere. "They're getting you something to eat."

Bella seemed to accept my answer as I walked calmly towards the bed, water in hand. I handed her the glass, leaning unnecessarily close, almost tempted to bury my nose in the alluring scent which wafted from her like an irresistible invitation.

When at last, I gathered my senses and pulled away, Bella's head was down, the glass of water resting listlessly against her knee.

I felt worry rise in my throat. Was something wrong? Had I been too obvious? Was she…

Bella's head snapped up, her eyes met mine, alight with shock, wariness and an expression which I couldn't identify and wasn't sure I liked.

"What's this?" She asked; her voice trembled.

I was confused, what was she…Bella snatched up the item from her lap and held it out to me. "What is this?!" She asked again, her voice spiking. She leapt from the bed and backed away from me.

I didn't understand…she was waving whatever it was in her hand frantically and when I took a step towards her, she froze and threw it at me. It fluttered useless to my feet and I felt the blood drain from my body when I saw what it was.

Desperately, I patted my breast pocket, reached inside…and came up empty. Damn it. It must've fallen out as I leant over Bella. No wonder, she had been so scared. I glanced down at the object which seemed to mock me…Bella and I had barely met and…

"Bella –"

"Don't come near me!" I hadn't even realised I had moved.

I bent to pick up the photograph, the one which had fallen from my pocket and had been inadvertently pitched at my feet. It was a picture of her, of Bella. The edges were folded back so that the photograph centred on her smiling face…damn…but I had no idea how to explain this to her. How could I possibly explain why I carried around a photograph of her when I had technically only met her five minutes before?

I held out my hand to stay her retreat. I hated this. Hated the wary look on her face as she retreated, it twisted a knife buried in my flesh and twisted harder when the wariness turned to something akin to fear.

"I can explain." I said even as I floundered, stumbling forward as she backed away. "I…I really can explain this." My fingers tightened around her photograph as she paused.

Her gaze was defiant now, her head held high and proud. "Really? Fine, you have five minutes before I scream your roof down."

"Ok…" I found myself saying. "Ok…"

* * *

_Months ago…_

"_Jazz! We're late!" I was in an ecstatic mood; the Globally Green company takeover had just come through and my company now owned the ruling share. It was a deal which had taken months of wrangling and negotiations to push through and God wasn't it a satisfying feeling to finally succeed. _

_We were having a celebratory dinner, me, Esme, Carlisle and the gang. Alice had already gone on to the restaurant, having left straight from her office earlier that night. Jasper was ironically the one who was lagging behind; undoubtedly checking his hair in the mirror. I snorted slightly, wandering around his sleek, upscale apartment._

_Jasper had always had good taste, in women, in furniture, in art. It showed through loud and clear in his apartment. The walls were hung with unique one-offs and his shelves covered in interesting knick-knacks from his travels. The mantelpiece above the pseudo fireplace held silver framed photographs of Alice, his parents, his friends and…_

_My eyes fixed on Her. The perfect little creature who laughed joyously from the photograph…her eyes alight as she stood happily by Jasper, Alice, Rose and Emmett. Who was she? Why had my friends kept me from her all this time? The primal thrill in my blood told me loud and clear…here was the ONE. She was it..._

_Those cliché stories suddenly didn't seem so absurd. The world seemed to click into place from the moment I saw her. My mind blanked even as my heart raced. Had my friends kept me from her all this time because they knew I would take her without preamble if I ever met her in person…were they as scared as I was at the pure flood of emotion I experienced as I gazed at her inanimate form? God…if I could just run my hands down her body…_

_Jasper burst out from the bathroom, interrupting my reverie and slinging an arm around my shoulder._

"_Well, boss man. Let's go celebrate!"_

_I didn't respond. In fact, I could barely drag my eyes from the photo in the frame. I didn't want to stop looking at her…I didn't want to lose this complete feeling which ran rampant through my body._

_Jasper followed the direction of my gaze and chuckled._

"_Great photo isn't it. Look at my girl…she's insane isn't she?" I had barely noticed but yes, Alice was hanging onto Jasper's shoulders in the photo, her feet dangling from the ground as her hand clutched that of my beautiful angel…_

"_Yes." I said, noncommittal as Jasper went on unsuspectingly._

"_We were celebrating Bella's book release…she had just…"_

_My mind fixed on that word. Bella. Beautiful. My perfect beautiful Bella. Mine._

_Later that night at the restaurant, I guiltlessly plied my best friend with liquor as I nursed a single dry martini and when at last, the celebration wound down, I offered to drive him home. Alice let me and I did just that._

_As Jasper slept in his drunken stupor, oblivious to the world, I returned to his mantelpiece and like the obsessed man I was, I undid the fastenings on the back of the frame and slipped the photograph from its glass prison into my pocket._

_If Jasper or Alice had ever noticed its absence, they never spoke of it to me…or perhaps they never suspected. The next time I returned to Jazz's apartment, the photograph had been replaced with one of Alice and Bella huddled under a bright red umbrella in a torrential downpour._

_I did it again. I couldn't seem to help myself. Something about that smile, those eyes, that face…my mind kept whispering the same word to me over and over again…mine…mine…mine…mine…_

_I somehow found myself reaching forward, undoing the back of that very same photo frame and slipping the picture into my pocket once more._

_Jasper had come back only a second later, his eyes had seemed to slip straight past the frame…_

* * *

"I…God, I sound like a lunatic." I muttered, sliding my hand over my face wearily.

"Yes. You do." Came my Bella's answer.

She was soft perfection itself, standing there, glowing under the muted lights of my bedroom, her eyes averted from my own.

"Why didn't you just ask Jasper or Alice for an introduction?"

My head shot up. Was she giving me a chance? Was this some sort of peace offering? I swallowed, praying that I had not just raised my own hopes uselessly.

"I…" My voice was hoarse. "I…well, it was hardly the most logical thing to do."

Bella's incredible eyes snapped to mine, a corner of her lips twitched. "And stealing photos from your friends was?"

A flush of heat crept up my cheeks. Christ this woman was driving me insane, her scent permeating my room and sinking into my skin.

"What could I say to you when we finally met? I connected with you via your inanimate image?" I was insane…oh God…Bella would be running, screaming bloody murder from me at any moment.

"How about…'it's nice to meet you.' That usually works for me." Her tone was impertinent now, a hint of sarcasm laced with laughter.

I stared at her, dumbstruck. Was she…was she teasing me?

Bella's laughter died out slowly, a frown settling over her beautiful face.

"I wouldn't have minded, you know…" She gazed at me pensively, her eyes honest. "Instead, here I am, crashing your party and fainting in the middle of it to boot…I didn't even get you a present."

The humour in her voice steadied me, reassured me that she wouldn't go running for the hills any time soon. I tried to smile at her but Bella's head was downcast, her face turned from my view as her lips trembled with…something…

God, had I upset her somehow? I wanted to apologise…but I wasn't sure quite how without making myself sound even more like a lunatic.

Her head snapped up as if I'd spoken, her eyes flashed with something…

In a few short steps, Bella had planted herself in front of me, her scent engulfed my senses and I gasped for air like a dying man. No woman had ever tempted me so easily simply with her presence. All she needed to do was exist and my body would disobey me and bow to her every whim.

"I didn't get you a present for your birthday." She whispered and I could make no sense of her words. What could she possibly mean by…?

She took a step closer, pressed her body to mine and met my eyes.

The expression there…the look in her eyes. In an instant, I burned, wanted, lusted…the control fled.

Bella Swan's lips crashed into mine and sweet desire welcomed me with open arms.

* * *

A/N: Interesting isn't it...and No! Edward Cullen was not stalking her...he was just a little...obsessed.

Anyway...

Twilight to Midnight


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